Candlestick Point State Recreation Area

Photo by Dan Hill.

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Magazine Issue

Jan-Mar 2010

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by Ann Sieck

Whatever the old stadium's current name, the land it sits on remains Candlestick Point. Here, an "underutilized" state park includes landscaped picnic grounds and acres of raggedy overgrown landfill ideal for wetlands restoration--or luxury housing. The current, controversial plan is to sell 23 acres for development, to fund maintenance and improvement of the remaining 97 acres, including wildlife habitat enhancement of landfill around Yosemite Slough.

On sunny weekends, you'll often find a lively mix of people picnicking, fishing, and windsurfing here, but when we visited on a recent Thursday, the parking lot and most restrooms were closed; state budget cuts mean the lot is open only Saturday through Wednesday. We parked along Hunters Point Expressway and entered on foot, enjoying the eerie absence of bicyclists and joggers. The tide was in and rafts of waterfowl floated on choppy water very near the broken-concrete seawall where we walked. Horned grebes and ruddy ducks like gaudy bath toys bobbed in the shallow water just off a beach suitable for wading or launching a kayak or sailboard. There are grassy wind-sheltered picnic areas, fishing piers, and a maze of trails winding among cypress, oak, and pine north past abandoned concrete escarpments, where goldfinches forage in tall grass and meadowlarks fly up from feral scrub.

Getting there

Take the Candlestick Park 429a exit to the entrance across from the stadium, or ride Muni #29 to Gilman at Giants Drive. Free, and open to bikes and dogs.